


Compliance.

by clearpurity2



Category: Senki Zesshou Symphogear
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:01:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22742923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clearpurity2/pseuds/clearpurity2
Summary: "Not once has she ever questioned me.Yet I didn't question her.Why did neither of us say anything?"
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	Compliance.

Her throat burned.

Or rather, it felt tight, blocking her airway.

Not a single taste and yet the thought and imagery of it all got her bothered.

This…how did they even get to this point?

“Hibiki-san?”

Her eyes glanced over towards Kirika with a smile.

“Hm?”

The younger girl was holding a few bags in her hand, staring right back at Hibiki in question.

Her arms were practically full of snack bags, Hibiki picking through them as she stood there.

“Do…do we really need all this?”

“Of course we do! It’s a party! Now that everything is cleared, and everyone is safe, we can finally celebrate!”

“Hehe, true.”

Hibiki gently took some of the snacks away from her, freeing Kirika’s arms a bit as they walked out.

“Okay, where to next? Or is this enough?”

“Hrm…” Kirika hummed. “You don’t think I got too much, do you?”

Hibiki tilted her head, looking at their items. This wasn’t the only store they visited, so they managed to get plenty of things without going so far. They asked for snacks, since Kirika was good at that, and drinks. Might be a bit lopsided though.

“Uh, well, I’d say we need some more drinks! We got juice so that might be enough. Or, uh, maybe drop these off and come back out for more? Otherwise, we did great covering our bases on snacks!”

Hibiki chuckled, Kirika soon joining in with her. With everything finally being alright in the world, there felt like so much more freedom. They didn’t have to look over their shoulders, worry about an incoming threat or even fighting overseas.

And it’s been close to a year since all of this.

Miku was doing much better.  
Chris finally graduated and was preparing for college.  
Tsubasa and Maria seemed to be getting their time back as idols.  
It was nice, really. Who knew they’d come this far?

They still worked with S.O.N.G of course, even if they didn’t use their Gears. There was still a year left for them at Lydian but handling both school and missions were actually much easier this time.

“Miku-san sure looked great in that S.O.N.G uniform, huh?”

Kirika grinned, peeking her head around Hibiki’s shoulder.

“E-Eh?! Where did that come from?!”  
“You staring out into space you know? And with everything that’s happened between you two—“

“Ah, ah ah! W-Wait, don’t bring that up right now!”

Kirika smirked in silence, giving her a pat on the head.

“It’s adorable! So glad Miku-san is able to work with us like that though.”

It was nice. After everything that’s happened, Miku really didn’t feel like herself. She did good with the fight but the months after that nearly led to some troubling times.

“We made it through, too…” Hibiki mumbled, a smile on her lips as they walked back into HQ, Shirabe immediately meeting them at the door to help.

“Did Kiri-chan get all this?”  
“No! That’s why I had Hibiki-san with me!” Kirika chuckled.

“We still need drinks though. While you two and the others set that up, I’ll go get those.”

“Ah, you don’t have to—“ Shirabe prepared to speak but Hibiki turned to face with her a smile.  
“No, it’s fine! It’ll be quick!”

Hibiki didn’t give them time to retort before running out of the building, leaving Shirabe and Kirika to watch her in surprise and confusion.

“Don’t we already have some juice here?” Shirabe asked, glancing over at Kirika.

“Do we? Then why did we head out in the first place? Should we tell her?”

Shirabe chuckled.  
“No. We can always get more. There’s going to be a lot of people anyway.”

Kirika grinned.  
“Right. Let’s get ready for this party then!”

Shirabe chuckled again.

“You’re excited, Kiri-chan?”  
“Of course! Any celebration we get is fun! We’ve been spending so much time with everyone lately, getting to enjoy each other’s company without worry! I want to celebrate every single thing, even if people might think it’s small!”

Shirabe smiled, slowly taking out the snacks from the bags and placing them on the table.  
“Then from now on, let’s celebrate everything together, Kiri-chan. No matter what it is, let’s give it our best.”

Kirika kept the grin on her lips, helping Shirabe pull out the food.  
“Yeah!”

—

A sigh escaped her lips as the bags struck against her thighs. Kirika bought a lot of snacks but now Hibiki wondered if she brought too many drinks.

Each one she saw sounded good, her thirst desperate for each new taste. Ramune was the most obvious one, since everyone seemed to be fine drinking that. She didn’t know what flavors they liked so she got a random assortment.

There were these jelly fruit drinks she thought everyone would like to try too, but if not, she’d drink them instead.

Soda was nice too, she made sure to get flavored ones but there were a few bottles of ginger ale in there too. Felt like she needed one of those right now. Hibiki sighed.

She knew that everyone would actually have more drinks there, probably more variety than what she bought but at least this would help with it.

“A party, huh…?” She chuckled. Kirika was so excited, it was clear. Frankly, everyone was but Kirika always spoke about how celebrations made her feel, no matter the occasion. Birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, and even normal days that held basic festivals and memorials.

No matter what it was, Kirika was happy to share it with others. Hibiki had celebrations with her mom and grandmother, even Miku and her parents. She’s been lucky in life, surrounded by those that loved and supported her.

They were always there.  
Supportive.  
Loving.  
Never allowed her to be alone.  
It was fun.

“Always…” She mumbled.

She felt hot.

“Hibiki!”

Miku’s voice shut off her thoughts before they could even fester properly, the young girl running towards her to help with the bags.

“You bought all this? You know we have plenty of drinks inside, right?”  
“Y-Yeah, but thought I’d get more! You know, for variety!”

Miku chuckled, placing one of the bags on her arm to free her hand so she could grab Hibiki’s hand.

“Come on. Everyone’s here.”

Already? She wasn’t gone that long, was she? Well, she did ponder over the drinks probably a bit too long. If no one ended up drinking these, then she could do so herself.

By the time they finally walked in, everything was pretty much set. There were various S.O.N.G members already indulging themselves on a few snacks that were set out, though it looked like Aoi was telling them not to eat everything so fast.

“Kirika, we don’t need so many banners…” Maria attempted to take the confetti out of the girl’s hand, which only prompted a pout from the girl.

“I know, but…this a celebratory time! Confetti makes things feel better, don’t you think? Gets you in that festive mood!”  
“But it’s also very hard to clean up.” Shirabe quickly added.

Kirika only continued to pout but Shirabe kept the smile on her lips.

“I’ll help you clean up, Kiri-chan. It’s not every day that we get to celebrate so many things at once. Let’s have fun.”

“Ah, Shirabeeee!” Kirika’s lips practically stretched ear to ear as she wrapped her arms around the girl and pulled her into a hug. Maria sighed, placing her hands in her hips but the smile was evident on her face too.

Chris and Tsubasa seemed to be setting up the food too, displaying it out nice and neat.

“Don’t stack them up like before, senpai…”  
Chris sighed, taking a few of the plates and stacking them neatly on top of each other. Remembering the last time they had a party, Chris couldn’t even fathom Tsubasa’s odd cleaning habits.

She barely cleaned as it was, but maybe she could give her some credit for attempting.

“Hmm, right, of course Yukine.”  
Tsubasa seemed so focused on this too…

“Listen, senpai, just relax, okay? This isn’t like some sort of showcase.”  
“I know, but I must try my best if I wish to get better. Besides, you are preparing for college, right? What is it that you wish to do, Yukine?”

“Haah!?”  
Where did that line of questioning even come from? It wasn’t something bad to answer but…it just wasn’t something she was expecting. What made this more awkward was the silence, Tsubasa not saying a single word after her initial surprise.

She wasn’t even looking at her, still focused on setting the dishes up right. Was she giving her the proper time to answer? Chris looked away, working on the cups before responding.

“…I want to sing. I want to sing to help people around the world. Kind of like you but…n-not exactly. I, uh…”  
Chris stopped, pressing her lips together. How could she explain this properly without sounding like a weirdo or too sappy? Maybe the silence lasted a bit too long since once she turned, Chris could see Tsubasa looking at her with a smile.

“Wh-What!?”

“Nothing. I am simply happy to celebrate something like this with you and everyone else. We all shall follow the songs in our hearts, right Yukine?”

What did she mean by that? Was this her way of offering support? It was embarrassing, even after everything they’ve been through but…Chris found herself giving a small smile.

“Don’t go sounding like that idiot.”

Tsubasa kept the smile on her lips until she noticed Genjuro walking towards the middle of the room, attempting to gain everyone’s attention. Elfnein was there, along with Aoi and Sakuya.

The Commander smiled, glancing over everyone as they finally gave their full attention.

“I’m not here to make a huge speech about everything we’ve been through and how far we’ve come. Just know that I am proud of all of you and couldn’t be more honored to work alongside you.”

He chuckled, holding his fist up.  
“Now, let’s get this started!”

The cheers that echoed throughout the room sent chills throughout Hibiki’s body, filling her with excitement and nerves all at once. Having the chance to spend this time with everyone, especially in such a free environment without the worry of anything threatening them again. Training and helping others always brought this smile to her face, somehow bringing new life into her that she never knew she needed before.

Miku hummed, sitting down beside Hibiki as she handed her a cup of juice.

“Here.”  
“Ah! Miku, reliable and sweet as always!”

She grinned, taking a sip of her juice as she glanced around the room.

“You’re still not too sore from everything, are you?” Hibiki asked, looking over at Miku as she took another sip. 

“I’m fine. I’m getting used to this. I used to play track after all, remember? There was a time I was more fit than you.” Miku leaned over, poking at Hibiki’s arm.

“No need to rub it in!”

“It’s just obvious.” Miku continued her barrage of pokes, soon pinching the skin to see if she could feel those muscles better.

“M-Miku!”

“I can feel them right on my fingertips. It’s almost as if your muscles have gotten even bigger!”

Hibiki knew she was blushing, but immediately she raised her hands to poke at Miku’s stomach, forcing the young girl to blush as well.

“Hibiki! What are you—!?”  
“Pay back!” Hibiki grinned, but before she could continue, she felt a smack to the back of her head.

“Would you shut up!?”

Hibiki turned around to see Chris because…who else would it be? Her grin was quickly replaced with a pout as she rubbed her head.

“Wh-Why you hit me?”  
“You’re too loud.”  
“B-But Miku started it!”

Yet another hit but on her forehead this time.

“That’s not fair!” Hibiki complained but Chris had already moved on, her eyes landing on Miku.

“I know you can be just as stubborn as this idiot here, but try not to push yourself too much, okay?”

Chris sounded like a parent gently scolding a child, which made Miku laugh.

“I-It’s not funny!”  
“I know, I’m sorry. Let’s not worry about that then. I appreciate it, Chris. So, how’s college?”

Chris hesitated at the question but only for a few seconds. 

“I haven’t really…started yet but it’s exciting. Scary, but exciting. I’d like for everyone to visit me though…” It’s not as if she knew anyone there, and she wasn’t good at making friends, so she didn’t want to act like going to college would be leaving them behind. Even if there weren’t any threats, she’d love to keep spending time together.

“We’ll visit you as much as we can, Chris.”  
Maria’s voice came from behind her. Tsubasa, Kirika and Shirabe were walking alongside her as well.

“What are you doing just sitting here anyway? We should be enjoying the party! Eating food, playing games, all that!” Kirika added.

“Eh? They have games too?”  
“Of course!”

“Elfnein and Kiri-chan insisted on having games to play, something that everyone can join in and have fun with.”

“I’ve never tried darts before! Trying to hit that bullseye is harder than I thought!” Kirika pouted, Shirabe giving her a brief pat on the shoulder.

“Really? It’s not that bad. Heh, maybe I can teach you a thing or two about aim.” Chris smirked, rolling her shoulders as if she was getting ready to throw a pitch right here and now.

“I’m sure Tsukuyomi is good with aim as well. Whenever she uses her yoyo’s I’m amazed.”

“We don’t fight anymore though…” Maria sighed.

“N-No, I mean in general! She’s shown me a few of her tricks and it’s rather hard to keep up. Her hand eye coordination must be amazing.”

Shirabe blushed, fumbling with her fingers, and Kirika’s pat on the head made it worse.  
“Tsubasa-senpai sees how amazing you are, Shirabe!”

“I-It’s really…not that serious…” She mumbled.

“Hey, hey! Come on, we’re losing track here! You wanna play or not?” Chris was already making her way towards the dart board, Kirika awkwardly pulling Shirabe along.

“W-We’re coming! Wait up! I want to learn!”

Hibiki gave them a chuckle before Miku did the exact same thing by pulling her along to meet up with the others.

This…felt nice. There were multiple other things to do, but with them getting distracted with trying to get as many bulls eyes as Chris, eating and talking, they spent most of their time on darts.

Hibiki found herself needing a short break but encouraged Miku to keep at it. Once she sat down, eager to get something else to drink, her eyes took note of Elfnein walking up to her.

“Hibiki-san?”  
“Hm?”

“Are you okay? You seem a bit tired.”

“Eh? Oh, I’m fine! I was having a lot of fun, really! Thought I’d just…take a break though and let them keep going. Chris-chan is beating all of us, heh.”

Elfnein smiled, taking a seat beside her as they both looked on as the others continued. Kirika seemed determined to get better, the expression on her face after every fail and hit making it more and more obvious. It’s like she treated Shirabe and Chris as her coaches, even Tsubasa as well.

Miku and Maria were enjoying a bit of all the chaos on the sidelines, having their own conversation, occasionally joining in.

“Maria-san said she’s never played darts but she’s really good at it. She’s the one that explained the game to me.” Elfnein spoke into the silence.

“Maria-san knows a lot.”  
Though Hibiki could only imagine how. Maria was always there to help others, just like Miku, so it was nice to see them talking.

“I want…to play this with Carol one day too. Just a day that we all can have fun and enjoy each other’s company. I plan on writing about this day so I can tell her later. This is a celebration of Carol’s help as well.”

Hibiki smiled, taking her cup in her hand.  
“I’m sure she will love to hear about it. And maybe…one day I’ll be able to talk to her too.”

Without her, they wouldn’t be here. And if Carol didn’t push her right then and there, Hibiki wasn’t sure on what she’d do when it came to Miku. She knew she had to fight in order to free her, but the fear of what her fist would do overtook it all. Hibiki knew what she wanted, but no one asked…and she was too afraid to admit her desires.

_‘I know it was selfish of me, but…’_

“I’m sure you’ll talk to her again, Hibiki-san!” Elfnein smiled, looking over at her with determination.

“Then we all can talk together! I’m positive Carol would love to talk to you!”

Despite how they met, Carol really did end up saving them multiple times. There was always this sense of regret she felt for never getting the chance to talk to her. She wanted to apologize to her as well, even if people might question why, considering all that Carol’s done.

Regardless, she was looking forward to seeing her again, finally bringing her lips to the cup. That familiar burning sensation she felt in her throat earlier intensified, coating her lips and tongue as well. 

The warmth, even for a split second, made her cough, spitting the liquid out immediately.

“Wh-What…?”

The burning soon traveled to her throat, Hibiki throwing the cup down to the ground.

“H-Hibiki-san?”

“N-No…I didn’t…that wasn’t…r-right?”

Elfnein took a few steps towards the teenager, reaching out to grab her hand but Hibiki stepped back.

Her chest hurt, heart racing much faster than she ever remembered it doing before.  
It couldn’t have been what she thought, right? They wouldn’t have that here.

Not here.  
Not here…  
Why would they even have that here?!

“Hibiki!”  
Miku’s voice made it to her ears, the sound of footsteps getting closer. Hibiki felt a hand on her shoulder but she immediately turned away, pushing at her hand.

“D-Don’t touch me!”

_‘You’re just like him.’_  
_‘I wonder how much longer until she’ll follow in his footsteps.’_  
_‘What a waste…’_

Why wouldn’t they leave her alone?  
What did she do to receive this torment?

Her fingers gripped at her shirt, praying that this would pass, but the pain only increased. That searing pain seemed to travel to her chest, something different than the pounding. Did it travel? Did it enter her system?

Blurry figures entered her sight, knowing her friends were concerned but she didn’t want them to see her like this.

She didn’t want them to know.

Her knees felt the cold floor below, another hand placed on her shoulder. This time she didn’t have the strength to hit it away, not even to turn and see who it belonged to.

Everything was fuzzy and warm. Her body, their faces, their voices.  
Everything felt like buzzing in her head.  
That only made her panic more.

_‘I’m not him, I’m nothing like him! I won’t ever be like him! That’s not how I handle my problems!’_

_‘Then why did you take a sip?’_

_‘It was an accident! I-I didn’t…!’_

“Hibiki!”

——

Another piece of glass shattered onto the floor.

The sound was familiar in this household for all sorts of reasons, Hibiki only guessing what it was this time.

She blinked, glancing over at her mother and grandmother as they picked up the remnants of a glass cup.

“I’m sorry…” Her grandmothers shaky voice responded but her mother smiled, gently taking the broken pieces out of her hand.

“Don’t worry.” Her mother left it at that, choosing to sweep the smaller pieces instead. The windows helped shine the sun in more, making the kitchen feel warm. She couldn’t remember the last time it felt this safe and comfortable.

“Ah, Hibiki.”  
Her mother called from the sink, the young girl hopping off her seat to walk closer.

“Do you mind taking these bags out to to the trash for me? Just sit them on the side near the mailbox.”

“No problem!”

Hibiki gave her a smile, gently taking the bags and walking outside. They were rather small so it wasn’t hard to take them out. A lot of it had to be the paper and threats that people stuck to their house but luckily, the attacks have slowed down. No more broken windows but it didn’t stop them at school.

That was fine with her, she could handle it. She was more worried about Miku catching hate for it. Once she sat the bags down, she sighed. The sun felt nice against her skin and it felt warm outside for once.

“…time for school…” She mumbled. Before heading back into the house, she saw a can falling from one of the bags. Bending down to pick it up, she thought nothing of it, ready to throw it right back into the bag and maybe tie it up this time so nothing would fall out.

But her eyes caught sight of the logo…while the smell wafted into her nose. It wasn’t sour, and she knew it was garbage, but…it still smelled like beer. How could the smell linger for so long? Or maybe they should have threw it out earlier.

“…”  
But with how hectic things have been, they really didn’t have any time to clean.

She hated the smell. It made her feel sick.

Hibiki threw the can to the ground, watching it roll right until it hit someone’s foot.  
“A-Ah, I’m—!”

“You shouldn’t litter, Hibiki.” Miku chuckled, picking up the can with a smile. Hibiki felt her body relaxing, hoping her heart would begin to follow suit.

“M-Miku…”  
“You ready for school?”

“Uhm, y-yeah! I just need to get my bag! Be right back!”

Miku watched Hibiki run back into the house, her eyes looking back down at the can.  
“…”

Quickly, she placed it back into the trash bag, tying it up before standing in front of Hibiki’s house again. At least it looked better. Once Hibiki came back out, the smile came back.

“Alright, sorry, I’m ready!”

“Then let’s make our way there.”

Miku grabbed her hand, making sure they stayed beside each other as they walked.

“I see you got a new bag.”

Hibiki chuckled, lifting it up with her free hand.

“Yeah! The other one was getting a little beat up, so mom gave me another one! I have backups just in case I mess this one up, hehe.”

“I’m glad.”

Miku kept a tight grip on her hand, eventually coming into sight with the school itself. It wasn’t too far from their neighborhood of course, and the sudden influx of other kids came as well. Hibiki had different classes from Miku, so once they placed their bags away, she would be alone for a majority of the day.

But this was normal. Nothing new.

“Alright.” Miku sighed as she closed her locker, glancing back at Hibiki with a smile.  
“I’ll see you around lunch, okay?”

“Okay!”

Hibiki waved as Miku did the same and disappeared around the corner. Now that Miku didn’t have track practice anymore, her time opened up a lot more. She walked with her back and forth from school, spend time with her during lunch; it was nice.

“…I hope it isn’t out of worry.”

Sighing, Hibiki made her way towards the classroom. Already she could see a few papers lingering on her desk, Hibiki moving them to the side and sitting them on the floor beside her. She spread her books out, covering the large words and knicks on her desk before sighing.

“It’ll be fine.”

The day ended without too much trouble luckily. Most days it feels unbearable, kids whispering and talking about her as if she wasn’t standing right there to hear what they said. They stayed away from her, which technically was a good thing, so she was alone for a majority of the day.

As she gathered her things, staring down at the desk, she tried giving herself a small smile to show her gratitude.

“…at least my bag didn’t get ruined this time.” 

Taking out a rag, Hibiki began scrubbing at the words while her classmates began to leave the room.

All their footsteps faded from her ears, right until she began to hear some heading towards her. Looking up, she met face to face with the teacher.

“Say, Tachibana-san…are you enjoying your time here?”

“E-Eh? Uh, yeah of course! Coming to school is always fun! Sorry I’m always staying behind to clean up…”

She looked back down at the desk, rubbing as carefully as possible until each stroke began to vanish. Her desk was starting to look a bit dingy now…

“Would you…” The teacher began again. “…prefer to do your work at home?”

“Huh?”

Hibiki stopped, looking back at him.

“You know, doing all your work at home. Wouldn’t that be better? You’d be able to focus, and the students here would be able to do their work as well. All of this attention is causing a lot of…distraction and less focus on school.”

Her eyes began to burn but she kept the smile on her face.  
“S-Sure, maybe. I’ll talk to my mom about it!”

“Yes, you have time to think about it.” He then backed away, Hibiki going back to scrubbing at her desk. This time, she felt herself pressing down a little harder.

Once she was done, Miku was there to greet her, grabbing her hand as if they were never apart. She didn’t even have to say anything. All she did was lead her outside, walking back home hand in hand.

There was silence the whole walk back, a lot of the kids having cleared out by the time they left the building, which made the silence nice actually. Miku’s house always came first but they noticed a small group of people walking in the opposite direction.

There seemed to be three of them, two girls and a guy. Were they all…together or something? It looked awkward, given the fact they were all swaying but they were dressed as if they came from work. Once they got closer, she could see that one of the girl’s, along with the guy, were attempting to keep a woman on her feet. 

“This is embarrassing…why is she like this?” The woman questioned. The man on the opposite side of her sighed.

“I don’t know. She was having too much fun, I guess. Doesn’t give off a good look at work though. Hopefully the boss won’t end up holding us responsible somehow.”

Hibiki heard the woman in the middle speak, but it was so slurred that it wasn’t possible to understand what she said.

As they walked past, Miku felt Hibiki press up against her, the grip on her hand tightening. Miku kept her eyes on the people as they walked, and once they finally walked pass without incident, her eyes glanced back at Hibiki.

Her eyes were shut tight, her head nearly buried in her shoulder as if she was relying on Miku to guide her.

Once they finally stopped, Miku looked at her.

“Hibiki, we’re here.”

Hibiki slowly opened her eyes, glancing around the area to see her house instead of Miku’s.

“W-Wait, this is my house? Miku, you—”

“I wanted to make sure you got home safe. That’s all. I can easily walk back, okay?”

“But Miku, I—!”

Miku gently placed her hands on Hibiki’s shoulders, cutting off her sentence immediately. The silence continued for a while, perhaps only for a few seconds yet it felt like minutes. Gently, Miku used her thumb to wipe at the tears beginning to form in the corner of Hibiki’s eyes.

“I’ll call you once I get home, okay? So, I’ll talk to you later.”

Hibiki stayed silent, watching her friend take a few steps back, the smile never leaving her lips before turning away to walk. She continued watching her, right until Miku vanished from her sight, until her eyes looked down at her hands.

They were shaking.

_‘Why am I like this? Why do I react this way? This isn’t normal…is it…?’_

—-

“Hibiki…”

Her voice was soft, just like the hand on her face. She knew exactly who it was, even if she couldn’t see. Her eyes hurt, so did her chest, but it felt okay since she was there.

“You’re awake. I’m glad.”

Hibiki slowly opened her eyes, feeling something cold against her face. A rag? It felt wet too. Once she was done, she could see her sight clearing up, letting her know that she was in the infirmary. She’s seen this ceiling one too many times before.

“What happened…?” She asked, slowly leaning up which only allowed her head to start pounding.

“Don’t worry, everyone is fine. They helped me get you here. They’re worried of course, and wanted me to tell them once you woke up.”

“S-So…where are they?”

“Still at the party. I told them I’ll handle it.”

Hibiki fell silent again while Miku set the rag aside and sat beside her in silence. She had a somber type smile on her lips, one that Hibiki looked away from. Even after all this, she’s still here. Not once has she ever questioned it.

Why?

“I can’t keep reacting this way, Miku. I-I just…”

Instead of speaking, Miku grabbed her hand, the smile still evident on her lips. Every time she tried to talk, Miku grabbed her hand and never spoke. Why? Didn’t it bother her? This wasn’t healthy, was it? They never had time to discuss it but…she seemed to know immediately, even when they were kids.

How could she know?  
How could she deal with it?

Considering everything they’ve been through, everything that was harder than this, how could something so small induce so much panic?

Miku brought Hibiki’s hand to her lips, pressing them against her knuckles.

“We’ll work on it together, okay? For now, there’s water here and something for you to eat. I brought some food from the party in here. The plate might be a bit overcrowded though since Kirika-chan wanted to help with choosing.” Miku chuckled.

As she stood to her feet, she slowly began to let go of her hand but Hibiki held onto it tighter.

“…can we…talk about this…? I know I never have before but…I’d like to. It’s been so long, and maybe there’s no point in saying anything but…”

“…”

Miku sat down, still holding onto Hibiki’s hand, her smile no longer there.

“Let’s talk then. I’ll wait to get the others. Just you and me, okay?”

Hibiki felt her body relax, a more genuine smile showing, Miku equally giving her one back.

“Thank you...Miku.”

At this rate, they should, shouldn’t they? Hibiki should have told her years ago, and maybe Miku thought she should question it, but neither of them spoke up. 

They were working to fix that now…weren’t they?

**Author's Note:**

> This was based off a personal headcanon of mine dealing with Hibiki and her past. There are various things that I wonder may have carried over into her every day life, even if she realizes it or not.
> 
> But maybe those will be explored another time. If you read this, thanks and I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
